Workers for Gas Company Contractor Going Door-to-Door in Pasadena

Five workers for a firm contracted by the Southern California Gas Company will be going door to door to thousands of Pasadena homes and businesses starting Monday.

A.M Ortega, a contractor firm, was retained to perform routine gas pipe inspection to ensure they are in proper working order, according to a memo from SoCal Gas.

“We will begin working in these areas this month and expect to be finished by 2018,” said Javier Mendoza, employee communications manager at the Southern California Gas Company, in the release.

He noted that less than 10 percent of the gas risers are expected to require any maintenance, and only about 1 percent of them will need to be replaced.

The project will last about six months within Pasadena city limits as the workers have a total of 5,000 risers to expect, according to the memo.

A.M Ortega employees will have gas company IDs and will wear orange traffic vests with their company name and logo on the back, according to the memo.

Police said the inspections and the contractors working for the gas company are legitimate, but residents should always be on the lookout for fraudulent activity.

“Gas company’s employees or their contractors are uniformed and clearly identifiable, as are their vehicles,” said Pasadena Police Lt. Vasken Gourdikian. “They’re also typically able to read gas meters without intruding much on a property.”

Gourdikian went on to say that if a resident receives a knock on their door from someone identifying as a member of the gas company, it is the property owner’s prerogative to ask for further identification.

“If in the event they are unable to provide identification, do not open the door, call the police department and stay on the line,” Gourdikian said. “We shall respond and see if the person has legal business on the property. We encourage our homeowners to be careful, cautious, ask for proper identification and to look to see if the person is wearing a legitimate uniform.”